FA Cup
Craig Rouse says 2021 FA Cup heroes Pontefract Collieries will take a fortune favours the brave approach in the David versus Goliath second qualifying round tie at National North side Chester FC.
The fixture evokes the special and unforgettable memories from the epic battle with FC Halifax Town last year due to the size of the task facing the Colls.
“This is the reason why you take (FA Cup games) seriously to create the big day and big draws and luckily for us we have been paired with another big club with a lot prestige,” Rouse told Non League Yorkshire.
“It is a massive test for us and it is one we are looking forward to.
“You can sit back all day long and still lose the tie.
“They have good players with good ability so what we don’t want to do is have any regrets about how we set up.
“We want to go there and express ourselves and if it is good enough on the day then great.
“If not, it is not for the want of trying.
“In terms of the recent history, it would be (the club’s) biggest ever result. It is not for me to say if it is the biggest in the whole history.
“You look at last year; we got further in the competition than the club had ever been before but we never went past a team of the calibre of Chester or Halifax.
“We have been lucky enough to have a lot of good days at the club in the last five or six years so we hope we can add this to list and make it another memorable day.”
Rouse also agrees the contest is similar to the Halifax battle from last year,” he said.
“I think in terms of club size, both clubs have played at similar levels.
“They are both big clubs and it is a good draw for ourselves.
“The only difference is that it is an away draw so we have to go into the lion’s den and do things the hard way.”
If Ponte are to pull off arguably their greatest ever win they need to keep eleven men on-the-pitch.
The Colls have already had three players sent off this season.
“It is something we need to tidy up,” Rouse said.
“There’s been one-or-two losses of discipline really from one-or-two and from ones who should know better.
“When you look at a couple of the other red cards you can’t attribute that to discipline.
“Jack Shepherd goes to hook a ball away and catches a lad in the face.
“There’s no malice and his first concern was whether the lad was alright.
“It is just that in this day and age it is a red card and you have to take your punishment.
“We have been lucky to name a minimum of four subs everywhere we have gone so it hasn’t caused us too many issues.
“We are running with an 18-man squad but I’ve always it isn’t always the games you get sent off in that are the problem, it is the games you miss going forward.
“If we don’t tidy it up then it will definitely impact us at some point.”